Author Description

Margaret Mayfield is nearly an old maid at twenty–seven when she marries Captain Andrew Jackson Jefferson Early in post–Civil War Missouri. A naval officer and brilliant astronomer, he’s the most famous man their small town has ever produced. Andrew confounds Margaret’s expectations of marriage from the moment their train leaves for his naval base in faraway California. His devotion to science leaves no room for anything, or anyone, else. Amid personal tragedies and national crises, Margaret stands by her husband. But as World War II approaches, Andrew’s obsessions take a different, darker turn, and Margaret is forced to reconsider the life she has so carefully constructed.